To be fair, the McDonald’s All-American Game gave fans plenty to talk about—especially with the West Team running the court. Led by Alijah Arenas and AJ Dybantsa, the squad locked in a 105-92 win over the East Team on Tuesday. Five West players hit double digits, including Alijah, who dropped 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting in just 13 minutes. Peterson, fresh off his Naismith Player of the Year honor, shared Co-MVP with Cameron Boozer, who also led all scorers. It was all good vibes—until it wasn’t.

The McDonald’s All-American Game lived up to its hype, showcasing a wealth of talent with Alijah Arenas holding his own amongst the best. His solid performance, contributing to the West’s win, was a proud moment for his father, though it seems another player’s absence loomed larger in Gilbert’s thoughts. Despite celebrating his son’s solid night, Gilbert Arenas had other thoughts stealing the spotlight. The former Warriors guard, who was right there in the arena for Alijah, shifted the convo during a live episode of Gil’s Arena.

“The king of New York was not in the McDonald’s All-American Game,” Arenas said, pointing out the absence of Kiyan Anthony. “Kiyan ‘The King of New York’ Anthony wasn’t invited to the McDonald’s All-American Game in New York. We were here (signaled at a TV). That’s LeBron James in Cleveland. That means all Cleveland coming out.” Kiyan, who has earned the moniker ‘The King of New York’ for his impressive performances and high ranking within the city’s competitive high school basketball circuit,

And he didn’t stop there. In typical Gilbert fashion, he went even deeper into the snub. “What you think would have happened if Kiyan was in the actual game? Nobody was going to watch the Knicks if the king was playing. Come on!”

Sure, Gil acknowledged the reality. Kiyan’s rank at No. 32 and missing games due to injury meant he didn’t meet eligibility rules. Still, he felt there was room to make it work.

“These are moment you cannot miss,” Arenas argued. “This is a full-circle moment. You had the father on a McDonald’s commercial. … You for sure thought Kiyan was going to be in the goddamn game. It was only right. Ranked No. 1 in New York City, I mean, come on, y’all!”

However, he’s not the only father who feels this way.

Father Carmelo Anthony and others talk about Kiyan Anthony snub

Just days before the rant from Gil’s Arena hit the air, Carmelo Anthony took to his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast to question how his son didn’t even get a look.

“(Kiyan Anthony) ain’t lose in high school yet, in his senior year yet,” Melo said. “They’re the No. 3 in the country. What are we sitting here talking about? How? That’s my perspective on it. I think he got jerked. I think he deserved (being named a McDonald’s All-American).”

Interestingly, Kiyan recently dropped 25 points and five boards to win Finals MVP at The Throne National Championship. This impressive performance, coming after the McDonald’s All-American selections, further fuels the debate about whether he was unfairly overlooked.

However, not everyone agrees with Melo. Jeff Teague jumped in on the Club 520 Podcast and kept it blunt. “It’s no shot at Melo’s son, but Braylon Mullins is way better than Melo’s son,” Teague said, giving the Indiana kid his flowers. He even added, “I don’t like when I think of high school basketball,” clearly not sold on the hype around Kiyan.

Still, the numbers are doing some talking. While Mullins averaged 22.0 PPG for Greenfield, Kiyan lit up the AAU scene with 19.6 points and 4.6 rebounds for Team Melo. So, is the snub really that deep—or just part of the game?